A Vaginal Birth Means Your Baby Isn't the Only One Who'll Need Diapers
This probably won't come as a huge shock to most moms, but surprise, surprise -- a new study has found that having a vaginal birth can lead to weaker pelvic muscles down the road. And guess what? The research also found that moms who had their babies via c-section tended to have stronger pelvic muscles than the vaginal birth gals.
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And while scientists can't say for sure whether having weaker pelvic floor muscles will actually cause women to have incontinence or other pelvic disorders, the possibility of the weak muscles playing a factor probably does exist. Translation: If you give birth vaginally versus having a c-section, there's a higher likelihood of you unintentionally peeing your pants at some point after your baby's arrival.
And as the mom of a 6-year-old who has accidentally peed her pants (a little bit) on more than one occasion since he entered this world, I can tell you that it's really not as embarrassing as it sounds, and it's actually pretty hilarious.
Heck, I'm not even ashamed to admit that I did it in the middle of Times Square -- twice. One minute I was walking across the street with my husband and son, and the next minute, I sneezed, and found myself laughing uncontrollably at the trickle that was starting to run down my leg. I managed to run inside our hotel and use the bathroom, and then an hour later, the same thing happened again. To this day, I don't think I'll ever be able to live down pissing myself in Times Square -- but it sure does make for a great story to share with my mom friends.
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Peeing yourself as a mom is almost like a rite of passage or some sort of secret club that only we are privy to, and if nothing else, it gives us one more thing to laugh about and make the day a little bit lighter. (C'mon, even Billy Madison admits peeing your pants is cool.)
But if you are at all worried about whether you're going to do it and are considering a c-section in lieu of a vaginal birth simply because you're concerned about your muscles "down there", you might as well go ahead and accept the fact that you probably will wet yourself at some point -- and it's ok. It's not anything that's worth getting all worked up over -- and it's absolutely not worth opting for a scheduled surgical delivery simply because you're worried about ruining your favorite pair of underwear.
Does having weakened pelvic muscles concern you at all?
Image via Daquella manera/Flickr
Written by Mary Fischer on CafeMom's blog, The Stir.
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